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Near or far, 'Rent' is great destination
(by Bob Abelman - January 15, 2009)
THEATER, BY BOB ABELMAN
Near or far, 'Rent' is great destination
Local theatergoers have several opportunities to buy into "Rent," the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that took Broadway by storm in the late-1990s.
Jonathan Larson's pop-rock opera follows a year in the lives of seven friends pursuing the Bohemian lifestyle in New York City's East Village, where starving artists reside in condemned buildings alongside the homeless. HIV-AIDS and its physical and emotional consequences pervade the lives of these individuals, yet "Rent" is a celebration of life. All this makes for dramatic, bittersweet and very engaging theater.
Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, from the original Broadway production and film adaptation of "Rent," reprise their leading roles as Roger and Mark in a brand new national tour. The tour began right here in Cleveland last week for a limited engagement at Playhouse Square and will goes on to Buffalo through Jan. 18, Philadelphia from Feb. 3 to 8, Detroit from Feb. 17 to 22, Chicago from March 31 to April 12 and Pittsburgh from April 14 to 19.
The key to "Rent's" success on Broadway was the remarkable intensity and enthusiasm with which the young cast of unknowns performed Mr. Larson's hard-driving and often elegant songs and told his poignant story. This unconventional music-infused play resonated with a new generation of theatergoers and set the stage for the current wave of innovative shows like "Spring Awakening" and "In the Heights" that continue to push the artistic envelope of musical theater.
Seeing a touring production of the show that started this trend, with members from its original cast, is a rare treat that does not disappoint. This is a first-rate production. Neither Mr. Pascal nor Mr. Rapp has lost a step or an octave, nor have they outgrown their respective roles. In fact, their voices have matured while their performances maintain the raw passion they delivered as newcomers in New York.
The tour's ensemble is stacked with exceptional talent. Justin Johnston, who nearly steals the show as the cross-dressing Angel, and Michael McElroy, who is flat-out phenomenal as Angel's lover, Tom Collins, were in the final company of "Rent" when it closed on Broadway last September. Others, including Nicolette Hart, as Mark's hilarious ex, Maureen, and Gwen Stewart, a featured ensemble player, also appeared in the Broadway company.
Lexi Lawson, who plays Mimi, the drug-addicted love interest of Roger, is the least experienced member of the cast, and it shows. Although she is a wonderful singer and dancer, she is the only actor on stage that is detached emotionally and, thus, unconvincing in her role. Fortunately, this is not enough to downgrade the overall quality of the cast or the impact of this production.
The on-stage five-piece band rocks, and the direction by Michael Greif and choreography by Marlies Yearby are fluid and true to the original work.
So powerful is this production that an avid "Rent-head" sitting next to me, who has been to numerous productions of this show in the past, wept uncontrollably from opening to close. Plain Dealer theater critic Tony Brown, sitting in the same row, gave a standing ovation. Mr. Brown typically stands only to leave.
Those unable to attend this unique event can take in a new generation of actors performing "Rent" on the Mayfield Village Performing Arts Center stage. The Youth-Teen Theater program of the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory will offer the school edition of "Rent" from Feb. 20 to March 1. Featured in the cast are several local performers, including Jesse Markowitz, of Orange, Codie Higer, of Solon, Katy Lucas, of Bainbridge, Shelby Berger and Leah Kubaitis, of Chagrin Falls, Nikki Leavitt, of Pepper Pike, and Miles Sternfeld, of Moreland Hills.
According to director Sean Szaller, the school edition has been edited for profanity, and a few verses to songs have been cut to make the show shorter. Remaining is the intensity of its subject matter and characters, which, while serving as much of the allure of "Rent," can be quite a challenge for high school performers to capture.
"Yes, it's challenging material," noted Mr. Szaller. "The musical makes you take a hard look at your own views on life, love, passion and friendship, but I know these young actors will be able to connect to the heart of the piece. And the music is much more accessible to them."
"Rent," in any incarnation, is a show worth seeing, if not in Detroit or Pittsburgh then in nearby Mayfield Village.
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